Modern Vespa

Here's the pics of my 250 Pirelli GPS 23 Tires (came w/bike). Just for reference if someone is looking for "Before" to "After" scenario!

How many miles should one get on rear tire. I have about 4200 miles on mine.

you can't compare rear tires from a 250 to a 400 or 500 as they are different rim diameters. 12" versus 14".

Now the 400/500 should get around 6000 miles this is dependent on tires pressures, weight carried on scoot, 1 or 2 up, road conditions, trip lengths, speeds normally run.

A couple of case examples: in town city style riding low speeds you'll get more miles per tire.
fast paced hard cornering long trips expect to replace rear tires around 4000 miles.

I always check my treads...I don't go by the odometer or miles on a tire..

Fuzzy,

Do you still have that tire?

that was on his 250 about 50,000 miles ago. and 2 1/2 years ago

Thanks, I can read dates.

I was just going by memory till now when I went back and looked

It appears to be a Michelin Pilot Sport SC.
I wonder if he still has it, and could slice it open in a couple of places to get some cross-sections -- first at the worn nylon belt, and second, at the "hole".

doubt he kept it, he ain't that type of guy to hold onto a piece of junk and that was changed at a shop

That may explain the pile of old sliced up tires in my garage.

I have a few laying around , you want me to send them to you?

Unless you happen to have a 250 with a 14" rear wheel - like mine.

No; but it would be great if you could post some cross-sectional views of the worn-out spots.

Left the old tire at the dealer when I got it changed. It was Pilot Sport OEM tire. I have cut a few to look at but didn't keep any. All had a fair amount of meat when the threads started to show but if you start wearing through the threads the strength is quickly gone. 100 miles prior to the picture there was no thread showing. Also ky in watching tire weaari they were thin at the very center but an inch away had a lot of rubberover the threads. This can fool you if the tread does not go to the center of the tire as the tread will look good but the smooth center is worn out.

I got just over 6900 miles out of the original Piaggio fitted rear tyre and it spent most of its life with two of us on it! It was still UK legal at ~1mm of tread but I changed it before it got me three points and a fine that I don't need. 8)

Maybe it's just me but I do not understand the attraction of running a tire to the very end. To put it plainly, it makes 0 sense, it's dangerous and one of these days it will catch up to you. Whatever money you think you are saving will be lost 1000 times over!!! Please change your tires before the servicable life limit is reached and inspect them often!!! Your life depends on it.

I had this happen on a rear tire and it took more time that I thought to get the tire off, because of the belt or chain. It looks like it split in the center! I would take it to a michelin dealer to see if they would give you a credit of some kind for the tire. Normal life should be 8-10,000 miles on a motorcycle tire, but depends on where and how you ride. The tires can also wear out in 6,000 miles. It is normal for the center of the tire to wear out first on a scooter or cycle.

Hi Fred, Welcome to the forum.

Just pointing out that the pic of the tire you are referring too is from a post that is over 2 1/2 years old. Fuzzy doesn't even have that 250 anymore let alone the tire.

Oh and on a 250 4000 miles would be considered real good. Mostly because the first 250's came with a 12 inch rear wheel. That is why I run a car tire now. Got tired of changing them so often. And you will find that on your 500 you will probably only get about 6000 miles. At least I think that is what the 500 folks report.

From the Continental Tire Technical Manual page 143:

Your points are legitimate. The tire that posted this thread surprised me as a newbie. I keep a close watc on my tires and it won't happen again. As to getting close to the end for me it is not a matter of money. Even riding them to the edge I was replacing tires in just 2 to 3 weeks of use. I had to take time off work and travel 40 miles one way to get them replaced.

As to the safety of running with low tread in the very middle of the tire it is not a clear hazard to me. Racing tires are slick. This is the current favorite tire on this forum and it has no tread at the center:



I personally prefer a tire with tread that crosses the center so I can properly judge tread wear at the high wear point of the tire.

Similar to car tire design, a continuous center tread will provide a quiet ride.

There is a huge differance between tires that have no tread in the middle because they are worn out and tires that have no tread in the middle because they are designed that way. Yes race tires have a slick tread, but the compound of the rubber is totally differant than street tires. Race teams change tires quite often because of wear and changing track conditions. It is not a proper comparsion to judge street tires with race tires. My remarks where general in nature, the you and your I used was the collective you and your not the indivdual you and your and not pointed at anyone I also like center grove tires for that same reason.

A straight center groove on the rear tire rides squirly which I assume is why some tires only have it on the ones made for the front.

"There is a huge differance between tires that have no tread in the middle because they are worn out and tires that have no tread in the middle because they are designed that way.....etc."

+1

The 'tread' of a tyre is the rubber that touches the road, not the grooves cut in it.
(The bit that's actually touching the road at any one time is called the 'footprint')
Therefore, a slick has virtually all its rubber on the road so has a vastly bigger tread.

They have (or had when I was drag racing in my youth) deep dimples moulded in as tread-wear indicators - when the dimples disappear, the tyre is worn out.

By center grove I was refering to any part of the tread patten or tire footprint that runs near or across the crown of the tire, this way you can get a good idea of the meat still on the tire. Those of us that do not ride 2 up, ride or brake hard, or carry loads tend to ride mostly on the crown of the tire. Most of the tires I change have far more wear on the crowns than on the sides (with proper air pres). So it is easy to see how a person may take a quick look at a tire and see a lot of material still on the tire and think it has a lot of life, when in fact the center is worn out. On my 1972 HD FLH I used goodyear tires they looked just like cars tires, they had a flat profile only slightly rounded on the sides. After about 3-4,000 miles if you leaned the bike way over (which wasn't much) you could feel the bike wiggle on the sharp edge that had developed. If you put on a sidecar you could not ride without the sidecar on because the tires had worn to a flat profile and the bike could not be ridden on those tires. Tires are not at all simple as they seem!

+1
Well said.

You also have to understand new tire technology. They use multiple compounds, the further the tires wear down, the harder the compound is, giving you less traction

There is almost no limit to the tech involved in the R&D and testing of tires, most of us know so little about them really, that it's hard to make an informed buy. We have to rely on ads, word of mouth, and advice for people that think they know. Then we buy them and forget about them until something happens. Not at all a good thing. So inportant, so neglected!

Most people do that, I kick my tires and give them a spin to check the thread at least once a week. Tire pressure checked every few weeks.